I have heard hundreds of people say, “I should write a book.” But rare is the person who follows through and does it. 81% of people say they want to write a book. Only 3% actually do it. This is because it’s not easy to write a book, even for people who love to write.

This extends to anything, not just writing.

“I should start my own business…”

“I should get in shape…”

“I should go back to school…”   

These are all worthy goals. Yet most of the people who say they should do those things, don’t.

A smaller percentage of people pick a certain thing, zero in on it and let nothing stop them.

Perhaps you’ve tried to do too many things at once.

Or, it might be that you talk about doing a lot of things but once you actually start them you see how hard they are, and you lose interest.

Maybe you’ve tried to accomplish something and months or years later, you find yourself at the same spot in life, with little progress. If you really, really, really want something — let me encourage you to do three things.

Focus on one thing

Pick just ONE thing. Not two or three, ONE.  Focus on that thing and don’t concentrate on all that is against you in reaching the goal. Focus only on your goal. Venus Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, explains, “I don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.”

Focus on that one thing you are passionate about and know that obstacles should not be a surprise. They are a given. Once you know what your want to do, hone in on that and keep going despite whatever comes up. When things come up, I often think to myself, Boy, this is really gonna make a great book or sermon illustration… The adversities themselves are sometimes what God uses to propel you. Some people have an entire career or ministry based on adversities. There are those who never would be doing what they’re doing right now unless something really bad happened to them. I have a friend who had terminal cancer and was then miraculously healed. They have a ministry that has been entirely built around that story, and it has lasted for over thirty years and the calls to book them to speak just keep on coming. And they have told that same story, for over thirty years and counting.

Allow time for that one thing every day

You’re going to have to make room to do this thing that you so badly want to do. This means taking charge of your schedule and not just allowing whatever will be to be. Steven Covey says, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

Do that thing each and every day — even if it’s just fifteen minutes. Do it, no matter what. Do it when you’re sick. Do it when you’re tired. Do it when tragedy strikes. Do it on days when everything falls apart. My family laughs at me when I gently wipe my computer with Clorox wipes to sanitize it when I’m sick. Nothing keeps me from writing. Not puking, not tragedies, not a thing in this world could pull me away from writing.

Don’t give up no matter how hard it is

Winston Churchill said, “Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.” This quote buoyed me many times in my writing journey. I never could stop thinking about being published by a major Christian publisher. I thought about it every day, and the desire never left me. So, I never gave up on it no matter how bleak things seemed as far as getting a contract. People would say to me, “But you are successful. You have five books already…” Yes, I did have five books already. But I wanted a contract with a major Christian publisher and even now that I have one, I’m not stopping.

I’ve had terrible days when it comes to reaching my goals. Rarely if ever will I cry publicly about it, but there have been  days where I have stood in the shower and sobbed after something didn’t go the way I dreamed it would. After getting it out of my system, I dry off, put my clothes on and get back to work.

Without exception, there is always something left to do — even after the biggest disappointment.

There is always a response.

There is always a way forward. You just have to prayerfully find it and then keep going even though you might have some wear and tear from a long journey. God will sustain you right through to the victory.

Thomas Edison once said, ““Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” You never know what just one more time will do. I often encourage others with what God has spoken to me time and again. He says to me, “You can do anything one more second, one more minute, one more hour, one more day, in My presence!”  This applies to YOU, too. TRY ONE MORE TIME. Just one more.

I am praying for you today as you move forward with your God-dream.